The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 353: The Legacy of War

"Well..." Davey muttered, realizing that this was a prime example of a miscalculation on his part. The sight of an area spanning hundreds of meters vanishing completely aligned perfectly with Davey's original intention.

His adversary remained an enigma, displaying an unwavering resilience even against the formidable 9th Circle magic. It was evident that if the entity managed to draw closer, its power would only amplify.

Davey comprehended the urgency of incapacitating it before it could make any further advances. However, he faced a pressing constraint of time, making it impossible for him to gather enough strength for a decisive strike with his current abilities.

It became abundantly clear that a mere ordinary attack would fall short. Davey had no choice but to resort to the forbidden arts as his sole option.

However, a nagging sensation of going too far lingered within him, even considering the desperate nature of his original plan. The employment of transcendent dark magic surpassed his initial expectations, as it was a power that defied comprehension, no matter how proficient he was in magic.

This particular transcendent dark magic was crafted with precision, meant exclusively for the Death Lord, Rho Aias. It was an exceptionally demanding spell that only she possessed the ability to wield. Though he had acquired significant knowledge in dark magic and necromancy from her, spells of this caliber remained elusive in practice, confined to the realm of theory.

Being knowledgeable and being all-powerful were two distinct realms of mastery. How, then, had he managed to successfully cast such a complex and exclusive spell? The answer had eluded him until now, shrouded in mystery.

As it turned out, it was surprisingly straightforward. Transcendent dark magic, unique to the Death Lord, could only be wielded by her alone. To access its power, he had two options: either become her or borrow her power. Both options seemed implausible, yet this event had unveiled a potential solution—a transformation of his physical body through the forbidden arts.

It involved a genetic mutation—a temporary defiance of the natural order, altering his DNA to mirror that of Rho Aias. At one point, he had questioned the necessity of memorizing such knowledge from Hia. Little had he known that it would prove to be immensely helpful in the end.

"Ugh..."

But, as expected, he couldn't evade the inherent limitations that accompanied this feat. He had succeeded in crafting only a minuscule fragment, no larger than a finger joint, which he then magnified through the application of a transcendental spell.

The immense power exerted by this magic had drained nearly all of his mana reserves, leaving him fatigued and his vision obscured, as if enveloped in a dense fog.

"Haa... Haa..."

As he took shallow breaths, attempting to regain command of his mana, he noticed something strange on one side of the enormous crater that now surrounded him. A small stone, radiating a dark glow, caught his eye.

"What's this?"

He slowly pushed himself to his feet and made his way over. Picking up the small stone that had landed on the ground, he squeezed out the last remnants of the abyssal power in him to activate the status window.

Zoom~

Beep!

And then, he checked its contents.

"This is..."

Something else caught his attention.

* * *

While Davey was occupied contending with the colossal entity from the abyss, Illyna had been in a deep slumber, unaware of his endeavors. As he made his way back to the cave, she gradually awakened, her eyes fluttering open.

Quietly assessing her condition, he found that she had made substantial progress in her recovery. Without delay, he transported her to a sprawling plain, intending to provide her with a serene and expansive environment.

Woong!

The sight of a massive transfer magic circle seemed to captivate Illyna, who curiously scanned her surroundings.

"Are we heading straight to the command center? The war isn't over yet, right?"

Her question was unsurprising, given her recent absence from the events.

"No, I won't be the one wrapping up the war. Reina will take care of it."

Upon hearing Reina's name, Illyna mulled it over and then nodded.

Even though Reina was renowned as a hero, Illyna had personally met her.

"So, it's that Reina," grumbled Illyna in a dissatisfied tone."So, what's the plan now?"

"We need to return to our territory."

Only then did Illyna seem to grasp the situation.

"Teleportation magic... It never ceases to amaze me... I wonder if I could learn something like this too?"

"It's 200 million gold per circle, and teleportation magic is an 8th-Circle spell. So, I can get you trained up quick and easy for a total of 1.6 billion gold. Deal?"

"Forget it, who needs to learn that?" Illyna shook her head firmly, demonstrating quite clearly that she had indeed spent a lot to learn from him.

Whoosh!!!

After setting the coordinates, he gestured with a flick of his hand toward the air. A radiant light enveloped the entire area, yet to their surprise, the scenery around them remained almost unchanged.

"Huh? What, what just happened?"

As Illyna looked around in confusion, Davey maintained his silence and simply pushed his hand into the empty air.

"Did we...move? We're still in a forest, aren't we?"

"Exactly."

Withdrawing his hand from the void, Davey unveiled a colossal item gripped tightly within his grasp—a magnificent bow known as the Divine Bow Brunaak.

Whoosh!!!

With tremendous force, he pulled the bowstring back, even though there was nothing visibly attached to it. Illyna watched him with a mix of confusion and growing familiarity, as if she was beginning to understand his idiosyncrasies.

Crack!! Crack!!!

After a brief silence, a massive lightning arrow began to take shape on the bowstring.

Davey silently stared into the distance for a moment, then released the bowstring.

[Strong Shot]

[Steel Heart]

Thump!!

The arrow became a beam of blinding light, tearing through the air with incredible speed, surpassing the sound barrier with a resounding sonic boom. Defying the conventional limitations of bows and arrows, it sliced through every large tree in its trajectory, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

With a chilling tearing sound, the beam found its target, striking with precision, before everything fell into an eerie silence.

"Ah... Ahya... My ears are ringing... What the heck did you just do?"

"Let's go."

Caught off guard by Davey’s abrupt actions, Illyna watched with a puzzled look. However, she hurriedly followed when he began to stride away and leave her behind.

"What on earth... Ah?"

As Illyna hastened to catch up with Davey, her eyes were captivated by the sight that unfolded where the arrow had struck. Shock overcame her as she beheld a colossal vampire, pierced through the heart by the arrow, lying motionless on the ground. Surrounding the fallen creature were numerous other vampires, visibly drained and fatigued from their ordeal.

Adding to the grim scene, a handful of fallen individuals were encircled by these menacing creatures, their fate uncertain.

They were barely more than children, around fifteen boys and girls. Each of them was dressed in a robe, unmistakably marking their lineage as magicians. They all bore the marks of minor injuries, but some were grievously wounded, their pale faces a stark reminder of the impending threat of death.

Among the onlookers frozen in shock, a vampire was the first to break free from the trance. With a strained expression, Davey slowly moved forward, approaching the group of vulnerable children.

"Human girls?" Davey’s expression turned cold.

"No, no! Run away!"

A few of the confused youngsters, apparently oblivious to the gravity of the situation, shouted urgently in their direction.

"Darn it! I'm the least injured! I'll draw their attention, so save those two ladies first!"

At that moment, a boy with a conspicuously cheeky demeanor let out a loud shout.

As if they had been coordinating their actions for a long time, two other boys swiftly broke through the vampire encirclement and made their way toward Davey and Illyna.

"Excuse me!"

Before he could finish speaking, one of the boys scooped Illyna into his arms.

The remaining boy was ready to carry Davey and move. It would've been the ideal scenario, had Davey stayed put.

"Argh! My head! You're pulling my hair!"

"Step aside."

Blushing, the boy reached out to grab Davey, and that only served to further irritate Davey.

Due to the changes that had happened to his handsome face, unnecessary misunderstandings were beginning to form.

As Davey contemplated turning this troublemaker into a pincushion with hundreds of pins, he slowly let go of the head. Then, he audibly cracked his knuckles, and took a step forward. He muttered, "In my own front yard…"

Who gave them the right to settle here? Pesky mosquitoes. They were the worst kind of troublemakers. They were radical vampires who had changed the tide of the war only to suffer immense losses in return.

But that was not Davey’s concern. He had come here with a singular goal: total annihilation.

He nonchalantly swished the healing potion he had retrieved from his Pocket Plane, doused it over the head of the boy who had rushed to his aid despite his injuries, and then kicked him square in the back.

"You've got three broken ribs, two ruptured organs, and a dislocated shoulder. If you don't get treatment, you're looking at a lifetime of hardship."

"What?!"

Caught off guard by Davey’s blunt prognosis, the boy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Davey’s voice had become rough and gravelly, a mere shadow of what it had been. The sensation of speaking was almost surreal.

Ignoring the gobsmacked boy, along with the other boys and girls who were too taken aback to speak, Davey strode toward the nearest vampire with an annoyed expression. He said, "Human girl, halt."

"I'd rather not."

"So you're just begging for death, huh?"

The vampire brandished his razor-sharp fangs and, with blood-red eyes, lunged at Davey. He seized Davey’s slender neck and started to snarl menacingly. "A bit more pressure, and your frail human life could be snuffed out in an instant."

His warning was followed by a swift glance at the surrounding vampires.

"Let's move. Take this girl as a hostage. That monstrous human from the Heins Territory is supposedly a saint when it comes to the value of life. At the very least, while we have a human hostage, they won't dare attack."

"One isn't enough. We should take a few more."

The vampires continued their exchange, formulating their plans.

"Drop your weapons, unless you want to see this girl's life taken."

Finally, the vampire gripping Davey’s neck issued a low warning to the other boys and girls, whose faces twisted with a mix of annoyance, confusion, and distress.

Admittedly, it was a frustrating sight to behold, a human willingly walking into captivity and essentially mocking the situation.

Well, Davey had to admit, they had learned quite well from their tutors. With this thought, he decided it was high time to stop dragging this out. He turned to the boys and girls, who were hesitantly lowering their staff.

"I'm certain you were taught that weapons are your lifelines," Davey muttered, and then lightly tapped the hand of the vampire that was throttling his neck.

Tap-tap!

At this gentle touch, he scowled and bore his gaze into Davey’s.

Davey yelled, "Who're you calling a girl, you flea-bitten son of a—"

Crack!

Davey casually seized his arm, snapped it, and pinned the vampire down. He then declared, "I warned you. Enough with the theatrics in my front yard."

He was sure he had made this point clear before.

The reason he had located this place was simple. The forest was adjacent to the Heins Territory.

His actions left not just the dumbfounded vampires frozen in place, but also the boys and girls—the students of Shakuntala's Class F—who had been facing off against them. They all stared at him in utter disbelief.